Claims
- 1. A method for forming a bit body comprising:
providing a mold; disposing matrix material within said mold; introducing a first binder material and a second binder material to said mold; and heating to form a bit body.
- 2. The method as in claim 1, wherein said heating causes said first binder material to infiltrate a first portion of said matrix material and said second binder material to infiltrate a second portion of said matrix material.
- 3. The method as in claim 2, wherein said first portion and said second portion are different.
- 4. The method as in claim 2, wherein said second binder material has a higher melting point than said first binder material and said second portion is superjacent said first portion.
- 5. The method as in claim 1, wherein said heating causes said first binder material to infiltrate a first portion and a second portion of said matrix material and said heating causes said second binder material to infiltrate substantially only the second portion of said matrix material.
- 6. The method as in claim 1, wherein said heating causes said first binder material to infiltrate a first portion of said matrix material and provide at least a first functional property and said second binder material to infiltrate a second portion of said matrix material and provide at least a second functional property being different from the first property, each of said first functional property and said second functional selected from the group consisting of a desirable degree of braze strength, a desirable degree of erosion resistance, a desirable degree of abrasion resistance, a desirable degree of steel bond strength, a desirable degree of toughness, a desirable degree of hardness, and a desirable degree of transverse rupture strength.
- 7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising introducing a third binder material to said mold prior to said heating.
- 8. The method as in claim 1, further comprising disposing diamond pieces within said mold prior to said disposing matrix material.
- 9. The method as in claim 1, wherein said disposing and said introducing comprise intermixing said first binder material and said second binder material within said matrix material.
- 10. The method as in claim 1, further comprising providing a mixture of polycrystalline diamond and one of said matrix material and a further matrix material, in locations within said mold.
- 11. The method as in claim 1, in which said introducing a first binder material and a second binder material comprises providing a mixture of said first binder material and said second binder material over said matrix material.
- 12. The method as in claim 1, in which said first binder material has a first melting point and said second binder material has a second melting point, said second melting point being greater than said first melting point by at least 100° F.
- 13. The method as in claim 12, further comprising introducing a third binder material to said mold, said third binder material having a third melting point being greater than said second melting point by at least 100° F.
- 14. The method as in claim 1, wherein said heating comprises initially heating to a first temperature sufficient to cause said first binder material to infiltrate said matrix material, then heating to a second temperature sufficient to cause said second binder material to infiltrate said matrix material.
- 15. The method as in claim 1, wherein said first binder material has a melting point of about 1650° F. and said second binder material has a melting point of about 1800° F.
- 16. The method as in claim 1, wherein said first binder material comprises a first alloy comprising manganese in a range of about 0 to 25% by weight, nickel in a range of about 0 to 15% by weight, zinc in a range of about 3 to 20% by weight, tin in a range of about 6 to 7% by weight, and copper in a range of about 24 to 96% by weight of said first alloy composition, and
said second binder material comprises a second alloy comprising manganese in a range of about 0 to 24% by weight, nickel in a range of about 0 to 15% by weight, zinc in a range of about 3 to 20% by weight, and copper in a range of about 30 to 98% by weight of said second alloy composition.
- 17. The method as in claim 1, in which said first binder material and said second binder material provide different properties to said bit body in combination with said matrix material.
- 18. The method as in claim 1, wherein said disposing a matrix material comprises disposing multiple grades of a tungsten carbide matrix material within said mold.
- 19. The method as in claim 1, wherein said mold includes displacements that form cavities that extend into said bit body.
- 20. The method as in claim 19, wherein said heating causes said first binder material to infiltrate a first portion of said matrix material that includes said displacements and further causes said second binder material to infiltrate a second portion of said matrix material, said first portion being different from said second portion.
- 21. The method as in claim 1, wherein said introducing a first binder material and a second binder material to said mold comprises providing said first binder material over said matrix material and providing said second binder material over said matrix material.
- 22. The method as in claim 21, further comprising further heating after said providing a first binder material and prior to said providing a second binder material.
- 23. The method as in claim 21, wherein said providing a first binder material comprises forming a first layer of said first binder material over said matrix material and said providing a second binder material comprises forming a second layer of said second binder material over said first layer.
- 24. The method as in claim 23, in which said first binder material has a first melting point and said second binder material has a second melting point that is higher than said first melting point.
- 25. A method for tailoring portions of a bit body comprising:
providing matrix material within a mold; infiltrating a first portion of said matrix material with a first binder material; and infiltrating a second portion of said matrix material with a second binder material.
- 26. The method as in claim 25, wherein said infiltrating a first portion of said matrix material provides a first property selected from the group consisting of abrasion resistance, toughness, hardness, erosion resistance, braze strength, and bond strength to said bit body, and said infiltrating a second portion of said matrix material provides a second property selected from the group consisting of abrasion resistance, toughness, hardness, erosion resistance, braze strength, and bond strength, to said bit body, said first property being different than said second property.
- 27. The method as in claim 25, wherein said infiltrating a first portion and said infiltrating a second portion comprise heating said mold, said matrix material and said first and second binder materials.
- 28. The method as in claim 27, wherein said heating operation includes initially heating to a first temperature sufficient to cause said infiltrating a first portion of said matrix material, then heating to a second temperature sufficient to cause said infiltrating a second portion of said matrix material.
- 29. A drill bit having a bit body comprising a matrix material and having a first region including a first binder material therein and a second region including a second binder material therein.
- 30. The drill bit as in claim 29, wherein said first region includes a surface of said bit body and said second region includes a core of said bit body.
- 31. The drill bit as in claim 30, wherein said first region includes pockets extending into said bit body and adapted for receiving corresponding cutting elements.
- 32. The drill bit as in claim 29, wherein said first region provides different brazing properties than said second region.
- 33. The drill bit as in claim 29, wherein at least part of said bit body is formed of said matrix material in combination with polycrystalline diamond.
- 34. The drill bit as in claim 29, wherein said first region has a first functional property and said second region has a second functional property, said second functional property being different from said first property,
each of said first functional property and said second functional selected from the group consisting of a desirable degree of braze strength, a desirable degree of erosion resistance, a desirable degree of abrasion resistance, a desirable degree of steel bond strength, a desirable degree of toughness, a desirable degree of hardness, and a desirable degree of transverse rupture strength.
- 35. The drill bit in claim 29, in which said matrix material comprises multiple types or grades of tungsten carbide.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Improved Bonding of Cutters in Diamond Drill Bits”, filed ______, and Ser. No. ______, entitled “Bit Body Formed of Multiple Matrix Materials and Method for Making the Same”, filed ______, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.